


Christmas Givings

by PhoenixRising360



Category: NCIS
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-29
Updated: 2021-01-01
Packaged: 2021-03-11 00:08:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 14,331
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28395894
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PhoenixRising360/pseuds/PhoenixRising360
Summary: Tim McGee is on his own for Christmas for the first time ever and tries to make the best of it. This is not canon-compliant. No set season this story takes place, except sometime after the Benoit/the Frog fiasco. Friendship fic, 5 chapters, will post one per day. Beta thanks to Jane_x80.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 26





	1. Chapter 1

Tim McGee headed into the mall two days before Christmas. It wasn’t that he was late doing his Christmas shopping. He’d done his shopping after Halloween and had gifts for everyone. The problem was that he’d been satisfied with his gifts for everyone except Tony DiNozzo, which was a gift certificate. While he knew Tony would probably like going shopping with it, it felt impersonal and lame. Tony deserved better than that.

Tim hadn’t always felt that way, and there were still some days he wanted to strangle Tony. Just not lately. In the last few weeks, Tony’s behavior had calmed considerably. He still quoted movies, joked around, called him McNicknames and Probie, but the veiled and not-so-veiled insults had all but stopped. Tim didn’t know why Tony had backed off, but he was grateful. Tony was just less annoying in general and Tony was really likeable when he wasn’t being constantly annoying.

Thus, he was back at the mall looking for a more personalized gift. He had no idea what that would be. For all Tony’s talking, he didn’t really give much away and knowing what he might want for Christmas wasn’t easy. On the other hand, it was possible that Tony had dropped hints all year, but Tim hadn’t really started paying attention until the last few weeks since Tony was less annoying.

So, what did Tony like besides movies? Tim thought. He liked having nice suits and good quality hair products and toiletries. None of that stuff was something you’d buy for another guy though. Tim made a face. What else?

He liked an eclectic array of music, but he had no idea what Tony had or didn’t have and wouldn’t even know where to begin. Tony didn’t talk music much. He sang occasionally just to annoy people, but he actually had a decent voice. Tim sometimes got annoyed when Gibbs head slapped Tony to make him stop singing. He actually liked to hear him sing, just because he didn’t do it often and his singing was less annoying than his constant talking.

Tim passed by a number of stores, a kid’s clothing store, a jewelry store, a major department store at the end of the wing. Walking back on the other side of the wing, he stopped in front of a Christmas store that was only in the mall seasonally. He felt compelled to go in. He looked at the displays of every kind of Christmas decoration you could find and some he’d never seen before. He passed by the gaudy-looking stuff, instinctively knowing Tony would hate it. He walked further in and stopped in front of a display of snow globes. He’d always loved shaking them and watching the snow fly around. It was a rather large display and there were only a relative handful of each one. He looked at each in turn and his eyes stopped on one in particular. No way, he thought.

This snow globe was an outdoor scene, a long but narrow pond with snow-covered grass surrounding the pond and a mini forest of snow-covered pine trees in the background. On the pond were two boys who were skating, with the slightly taller boy a step ahead of the other but he was turned back and smiling at the one who was behind and the other boy was smiling back, looking determined to catch up. Tim picked up the snow globe and took a closer look at the figures. They could easily be recognized as Tony and him in a cartoon state. He shook it and the pine trees swayed as if by wind and snow flew around and the scene seemed to come to life. Tim didn’t know if Tony liked snow globes, but he thought this one illustrated their relationship pretty well, all things considered. Tim was always trying to catch up and Tony was often smiling at him. He didn’t realize how much Tony smiled at him until he saw this globe and remembered. He immediately took the globe to the cash register and didn’t even blink when the cashier told him the amount he owed. It was a little bit more than he had budgeted to spend, but he didn’t care. He just hoped Tony would really like it.

As he headed toward the exit, smiling and satisfied that he found something, he then realized he had a new dilemma. When should I give it to him? He really didn’t want to give it to him in front of the others. It felt a little too personal for that. Tony had never invited him to his apartment so it wasn’t like he could just show up there. He didn’t really want to give it to him at work either.

Tony never mentioned his plans and there was an unspoken rule to not to ask him or Gibbs what their holiday plans were. The one time he almost had asked Tony what his plans were, Abby had been there and had interrupted, changing the question to something else entirely. Tony had seemed to know what Tim was about to ask and had smiled gratefully at Abby. He’d never asked again. Ziva had once asked Tony what his holiday plans were but he made up a story about spending it with a woman, and Tim had known that Tony was lying. Ziva had rolled her eyes at Tony’s explanation. He didn’t know if she’d believed Tony or not but she dropped it.

Tim sighed as he thought about Christmas this year. It was going to be different. He felt empty just thinking about it. He usually spent it with Sarah and Penny, occasionally with his mother. This year, Sarah had a boyfriend she’d been dating for almost eight months so she was spending Christmas with him and his family. Last Tim knew, his father was asea, not that he’d go out of his way to spend Christmas with him anyway. His mother and her boyfriend were in Florida; she had invited him down, but it was too chaotic to fly down there and back with the limited time off he had. Penny was in the Caribbean, some Christmas cruise she’d always wanted to do and since Sarah wasn’t spending Christmas with them, she decided it was the year to do it. So, Tim was on his own and at first, he had been a little disappointed, but not surprised. He’d known Penny wanted to do that cruise and that Sarah was serious about her boyfriend. It was only one year.

He thought about everyone’s plans this year. Even Gibbs had said what his plans were, and he wondered if he had only done that because he actually had plans this year. Tony was the only one whose plans he didn’t know. The lightbulb suddenly went on in his head. Maybe he could ask Tony to come over. They could eat, maybe watch Christmas movies. If Tony didn’t have plans, he’d have somewhere to go and if he did have plans, maybe he could at least stop over for a few minutes to get his gift. It was worth a try. It was better than being completely alone. Even if Tony had plans, he could still make the best of it and have a nice Christmas. He would make what he wanted to eat and could freeze the leftovers to eat for lunches later on.

Instead of going home, Tim went grocery shopping and almost filled a shopping cart with food, enough for a couple of weeks, including special dishes for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. He even went over to the non-grocery section to buy some other things to enhance the occasion. It took a while to get out of the store because it was busy, but once home, he paused only long enough to plug in the Christmas tree lights. The tree was woefully under-decorated, he had only added the lights, not having had time to do anything else with their workload. The rest of the tree decorations could wait and having the lights on did add a bit of cheer to his apartment. He put everything away, took a moment to check the snow globe box for price stickers, peeled it off and threw it away, then carefully wrapped his gift with wrapping paper that had Frosty the Snowman on it, just because he liked Frosty.

He sank down on his couch, needing a break. He took his phone out and looked at the time, 3:32. It was a Saturday, he wondered if Tony was busy. There was only way one to find out so he hit the speed dial for Tony. He seemed to wait what felt like a long time before Tony picked up. He was sure the voice mail was going to pick up when Tony answered.

“McCaller, please tell me we don’t have a case,” he said.

Tim snorted. “Tony, if we had a case, you’d probably be the one calling me. Besides, we’re off call until Monday, remember?”

“True. So, what’s up?”

“Uh…I have something to say so hear me out? Don’t interrupt, okay?”

“Uh, okay. You all right, Tim?”

“I’m fine. Just…listen, okay?”

“Okay.”

Tim took a deep breath. “So, Christmas is in a few days and I don’t really have any plans. My family is all doing their own thing and I decided to do my own thing to celebrate Christmas. I know Abby is leaving tomorrow to visit her brother. I know Gibbs is going to visit his dad and Ziva is going skiing. I don’t know what your plans are and it’s none of my business, but I just thought on the off-chance that you don’t have any plans, you’re welcome to come over to my place on Christmas Eve, stay overnight and then spend Christmas Day with me.” Tim paused to clear his throat.

“My new apartment has two bedrooms and I set up the second bedroom as a guest bedroom. I’m making turkey with the fixings for Christmas dinner. If you want to come over, you don’t need to bring anything except _It’s a Wonderful Life_ and your stuff for an overnight visit. You don’t have to stay overnight if you don’t want to, but the option is there since I get up early on Christmas morning to make breakfast. “If you decide to come over, be here at 3 p.m. on Christmas Eve. No dressing up required, I’m going to be in sweats and a t-shirt and we can watch Christmas movies or whatever sounds good.”

Tim took a breath and continued. “If you already have plans, that’s fine. I have a gift for you, feel free to stop by and pick it up. You don’t need to answer me, I know you don’t like talking about your plans and I’m not prying. If you don’t show up, I’ll just assume you already have plans. I just wanted to invite you anyway. I’ll text you my new address in case you don’t already have it. I hope to see you on Christmas Eve but if not, Merry Christmas and I’ll see you at work on Monday. Bye, Tony.”

Tim hung up before Tony could respond to avoid any awkward conversations. Tony would likely find it awkward whether he wanted to accept or not. Tim sent the text with his new address. Even if he didn’t show up, Tim was just going to enjoy Christmas anyway.

Tony didn’t call back. Tim wasn’t sure if that was a good sign or not, but he just shrugged and dug into his box of old Christmas decorations and also into some of the new stuff he bought to make the tree a little more festive.

Tim kept busy the day before Christmas Eve. While he enjoyed having some downtime from work, he wanted to have everything ready whether Tony came over or not, he was looking forward to eating whatever he wanted without thinking about his diet. He still planned to watch the Christmas parade and would watch whatever Christmas movie might be on. He hoped Tony would show up because he didn’t really want to spend Christmas alone, but he was prepared either way. He cleaned, he wrapped stocking stuffers and fixed up a stocking for Tony and stuffed it with little things...candies, hand lotion, Tony’s favorite flavor of lip balm, a deck of cards, an orange, the gift card, a mini bag of chocolate chip cookies he picked up at the store and then threw in a few more candies, for good measure. He didn’t have a fireplace but he had a couple of S hooks and hung the stockings from the S hooks on either side of the doorframe between the living room and the short hallway that led to the bathroom and bedrooms. Once that was done, he strung some silver garland and a string of Christmas lights over the doorframe to hide the top of the hooks in the doorway.

He put clean sheets, blanket and comforter on the bed in the guest room and put a few empty hangers in the closet so Tony could hang up anything he brought since he took good care of his clothes. He cleaned the bathroom and put a decorative Christmas hand towel on the towel rack. He set out a bowl of walnuts and fruit on the coffee table. He had a bowl of Christmas-themed chocolate candies on the side table beside the couch. Last, but certainly not least, he put a blue tablecloth with white and silver snowflakes over the table. He didn’t have a centerpiece, but the table really wasn’t that big so it didn’t need one.

He started preparing what he could ahead of time. He made a marinade for the turkey breast to let sit overnight. He washed and peeled some of the potatoes and boiled them. He seared and fried a ham steak, cut it into cubes, stored it in a container and set it in the refrigerator. He chopped some bell peppers and onion, also storing those in the refrigerator.

It was late afternoon when he thought he was done. He didn’t feel like doing any more cooking so he ordered Chinese takeout and ate half of it and watched an episode of Dr Who. His cell phone dinged that he had a new text. He looked at it and smiled when he saw it was Sarah. “Thinking of you. Think of me while you drink your eggnog.”

Tim typed a quick message back and slapped his forehead. He got up and went to the kitchen and put on an apron. He hadn’t bought two dozen eggs for nothing. He got out a saucepan and the ingredients to make homemade eggnog. He hated store brand eggnog because he could taste the preservatives they put in it, so he made his own. It was a lot of whisking, but it tasted so much better and was worth doing once a year. Once it was done, Tim poured it into a pitcher he had just for the eggnog and set it in the refrigerator. He wondered if Tony had ever had homemade eggnog.


	2. Chapter 2

On Christmas Eve day, there was much less to do so Tim look it easy until mid-afternoon when he started preparing lasagna for Christmas Eve dinner. He figured Tony would like it since the man lived for Italian food. And if Tony didn’t show up, he could freeze the rest and eat it for meals when he didn’t feel like cooking. As he prepared the meal, he had the radio on and they were playing a Christmas song every few songs or so. He looked at the clock. It was almost 3:00 and again he wondered if Tony would show up.

He probably already has plans, he reminded himself. He had no idea what those plans might be, but he felt a pang of doubt that Tony would want to spend Christmas with him. He went back to layering the lasagna pan and didn’t look up again until a few minutes after 3:00. He sighed. He hadn’t expected Tony early, of course, but Tony tried to be punctual if he had somewhere he had to be. He hoped he would at least stop by to pick up his gifts.

Tim had just finished prepping the lasagna and was washing his hands when the doorbell rang. He glanced at the clock, it was 3:12. Smiling, he dried his hands and walked over to the door and looked out the peephole. Tony stood there. “Open up, McChristmas.”

Tim threw open the door to see Tony’s arms heavily laden. He reached out and took Tony’s go bag as it seemed teetering on the edge of his fingers and Tony quickly grasped the other bags and box in his hand. “Thanks. I was about to drop that.” He stepped in and Tim closed the door behind him.

“Tony, what is all this stuff? I told you that you only needed to bring a movie.”

Tony snorted and gave Tim his “Don’t be stupid” look. “Wow, McPasta, you make that?”

“Yes. I was about to put it in the oven.”

“Looks good.” He set bags and the box on the counter. “I brought wine for dinner. I didn’t know what you were making tonight so I brought a bottle of red and a bottle of white. The red will pair well with the lasagna.”

“Thanks!” Tim said. He already had wine to go with the lasagna, but reading the label, he knew the wine Tony brought would be better. Tim put the white wine in the refrigerator and set the red off to the side of the counter so it wouldn’t get knocked over.

“Wow, you went all out on the decorations. It’s very Christmassy,” Tony said looking around, eyes wide.

“Thanks. So, what else did you bring?”

“Presents,” Tony said with a grin as he picked up the shopping bag and headed to the tree. “Two are for you, one is for me from my dad’s secretary. I hadn’t opened it yet, so I thought I’d bring it along.”

Tim suppressed the desire to wince. He wasn’t usually good at reading other people, and found Tony and Gibbs the hardest to read, but it seemed obvious that Tony expected to not have anything to open on Christmas Day so he brought something to open. Tim was now doubly glad he had a gift and the stocking for Tony. For a moment, he wished he’d gotten him another present, but then realized that might’ve seemed excessive so he figured what he had was good enough.

He shifted uncomfortably. He wasn’t used to being insightful where Tony was concerned, but something in his tone gave him away, though Tim could see Tony was trying to be nonchalant. He wondered if all the past Christmases, Tony had been alone. He watched as Tony arranged the presents under the tree and noted the moment Tony saw the present with his name on it. He could see the profile of Tony’s face and saw the wavering smile there, and quickly looked away. It filled him with a pang and dawned on him that maybe Tony didn’t find Christmas much to celebrate, which was probably why he didn’t talk about his plans. He put on a happy face at work so he wouldn’t be a Scrooge, but that was as far as it went. His silence the rest of the time about holidays spoke volumes. He didn’t know why it had taken him so long to realize that, but he was usually caught up in his own plans to think or even care about anyone else’s plans. Only this year he noticed because he had no plans with his family. He knew Tony wasn’t close to his dad, but he never thought about that in terms of Christmas. 

Tim turned back to the kitchen as he heard the preheat timer for the oven go off, relieved for the distraction. He went to the kitchen and positioned the sheet pan with the baking dish on it in the center of the oven, closed the door and set a timer.

Tim turned back to the counter and saw Tony was walking toward him. Tim cleared his throat. “So, what’s in the box?” he nodded his head toward the box on the counter.

“Oh, I stopped at the bakery and picked up a cheese danish for breakfast tomorrow. It sounded good.”

“I’ll be making breakfast, but there’s always room for cheese danish. Thanks, Tony.” Tim moved the box to the top of the breadbox.

“Sure.” Tony wandered around a little, admiring the tree. “I like your decorations. They’re a little old-fashioned. They’re…nice,” Tony said.

Tim shrugged. “I’ve had a lot of that stuff for years. Had to buy new garland this year. My old garland was falling apart, had to be tossed.”

Tony nodded. “I like the homemade ornaments.”

Tim smiled. “Penny, Mom, Sarah and I made them when Sarah was little. We made some every year for like five years so my mom, Penny, Sarah, my mom and dad all have a set. That first year, it was all about Santa. Sarah only wore red and white for weeks.” Tim chuckled at the memory.

“We gonna leave milk and cookies out for Santa?” Tony asked with a grin.

“As long as I get to be Santa and eat the cookies…sure.” Tim smirked.

“Not fair. I wanted to be Santa.”

Tim snorted a little. “Okay, we’ll just share the cookies.”

“You have cookies?”

“It’s not Christmas without cookies. Of course.”

Tony grinned. “Cool.” For a moment, silence filled the space between them and then Tony spotted his bag he’d set on the floor and picked it up. “Uh, where should I put my bag?”

“Oh, yeah, come on, I’ll show you.” He walked through the doorway where the stockings were hung and went to the first bedroom on the right. “In here. This is the guest…” He realized the silence and looked over to see Tony had stopped at the doorway and was staring at the semi-bulging stocking with Tony’s name on it.

“You got me a stocking?”

“Uh, yeah,” Tim said, as though it would be obvious.

“Oh…I’ve never had a stocking before,” Tony said quietly.

“Really?” Tim asked, disbelief in his voice.

Tony shook his head, blinked and Tim saw his Adam’s apple bob as he swallowed hard. Seeming to snap out of it, Tony finally walked past and stepped into the room Tim indicated. Half the room had a bed, bedside table and a chair situated at the end of the bed. In the corner was an L-shaped desk with Tim’s typewriter on one part and his computer on the other. Tony set his bag on the chair.

Tim cleared his throat. “I put a few hangers in the closet in case you wanted to hang up anything,” Tim said awkwardly. “I’m going to go set the table.” He then left Tony to his own devices and went back to the kitchen. He could smell the lasagna and it made his mouth water and his stomach growled a little. He opened the package of Christmas-themed napkins and got out his good plates and dug under his everyday silverware for the special occasion silverware.

Tony came out soon afterward. “Do you need help?” he asked.

“Not really,” Tim said. “You can pour the wine once dinner is ready though, if you want.”

“Okay.” He wandered around a little, checking out Tim’s apartment. It was bigger and brighter than Tim’s old place. “So, when did you move?” Tony asked. “And how come I didn’t know you had until you called?”

“A few months ago. I needed a bigger place.”

“Why?”

“I had too much stuff I didn’t want to get rid of and nowhere to store it. I also wanted room for furniture.”

“Good reasons. Took you long enough,” Tony teased with a grin.

Tim shrugged. “The other place worked for me for a long time.”

“How come you never told anyone you were moving?”

Tim shrugged. “Didn’t think anyone would care, I guess.”

“Does Abby know you moved?”

“Uh, no.”

Tony’s eyes got big. “What? No?!”

“No.”

“Oh man, she’s going to kill you when she finds out.”

Tim shrugged as he went to the refrigerator and grabbed the container of parmesan cheese. When he closed the refrigerator and turned around, Tony was looking at him a little strangely. “What?”

“You’ve gotten a lot better at keeping secrets. I bet Gibbs doesn’t even know you moved.”

“No reason anyone should know except HR.” Tim paused. “Well, and you now.”

“Heh, I’m staying away from that one. If Abby asks, I’m just going to pretend to be shocked she didn’t know.” Tony paused for a moment. “Why is this a secret from Abby anyway?”

“It’s not, really. We were busy with cases so it didn’t come up. I moved on a weekend we didn’t have a case. Sarah helped me.”

“You could’ve asked. I’d have helped you move.”

Tim looked over at him. “I wasn’t in the mood to be made fun of for all the geeky stuff I have.”

Tony rocked from foot to foot a little awkwardly and he looked a little shame-faced. “Yeah, okay, point.”

“Though you’re not as bad as you used to be,” Tim added after a moment’s thought. “You’ve made fun of me less the last few weeks. How come?”

Tony half-shrugged. “Oh, haven’t I? Didn’t realize.”

Tony glanced away, avoiding eye contact. Tim knew Tony well enough that his behavior and his words didn’t ring true. “No, you haven’t. It’s been kind of weird. A good weird, but still weird.”

Tony then shrugged, grinned and patted the top of his head. “Don’t let Abby hear you say that. She’d be offended you thought weird could be anything but good.”

Tim ducked away from Tony’s hand. “Pat my head again and your growth is going to be stunted.”

Tony snorted. “Only problem with that is that I’m fully grown. The only way to grow now is out and that’s not happening.”

“You fluctuate between gaining and losing weight.”

“Yeah, because I like food way too much. I’m going to have to step up my workout after this holiday though.”

“Yeah, me too.”

The timer beeped and Tim shut it off and went to the breadbox to take out the loaf of garlic bread to set up to put in the oven. He carefully took out the pan of lasagna and set the bread inside and reset the timer.

“That smells great, Probie.”

“Penny’s recipe. I hope you’re hungry.”

“I could eat.”

Tim snorted. Tony could always eat. “Go ahead and pour the wine. Once the garlic bread is done, it’ll be time to cut into the pasta.” Tim pointed to the cupboard that had wine glasses. Tony did as he was asked and set the half-full wine glasses on the table.

They had a relaxing dinner. Both men were hungry so little was said as they ate, except Tony raving about how good the lasagna was in between bites. “I didn’t know you could cook, Probie.”

“No one’s going to cook for me so I had to learn.”

“You need a wife.”

Tim snorted. “You’ve seen my luck with women, right?”

Tony rolled his eyes. “That was then. You’re a lot tougher now. You’re less likely to attract the vultures you used to. Just keep an iron fist on your wallet.”

“No kidding,” Tim muttered.

“You need someone independent, smart and feisty without being overbearing.”

Tim dropped his fork. “Since when are you so concerned about my love life?”

Tony half-pointed his fork in Tim’s general direction. “Gotta look out for my probie. In the past, you were too easy with women. You got burned a lot; too much, really but now you’re less trusting, which means a woman has to work for it. The kind of women who would hurt you aren’t going to want to invest that kind of time so they’ll move on to an easier target leaving the women who won’t mind working for it because they know it’ll be worth it. Don’t settle, Probie.”

“I’m not. But what about you? You going to keep settling for one night stands?”

Tony rolled his eyes. “I’m not settling. Unlike you, I have no desire to get married and settle down.”

“How come?”

Tony visibly shuddered. “I like doing what I want and being who I am. I’m not interested in living with a woman who wants to change me.”

“Not all women are like that, Tony.”

“You sure about that? I have yet to meet a woman who isn’t.”

“Maybe you just attract that type of woman, like I used to attract the users.”

Tony shrugged. “Maybe. But I’m…content enough with my life the way it is.”

“Really?”

Tony looked over at Tim with a strange expression. “Why is that so hard to believe?”

“I dunno, you just seem…kinda sad, I guess…for lack of a better word.”

“Eh, not really.” Tony picked up his fork and started eating again.

“Well, I’m glad you’re here. I wasn’t looking forward to spending Christmas alone.”

Tony chewed and swallowed. “Where is your family anyway? I was really surprised when you called and told me they were doing their own thing.”

Tim sighed. “Sarah is spending Christmas with her boyfriend and his family. Penny is on some cruise. My mom lives with her boyfriend in Florida and I didn’t have enough time off to make a trip.”

“Your parents are divorced?” Tony looked surprised.

“Yeah. Have been for a long time.”

Tony just stared. “Oh,” he said quietly. “I didn’t realize. I guess I’d just assumed you came from a close, happy family.”

Tim laughed mirthlessly. “Well, it’s happier now that they’re divorced. Close? Not so much. Sarah and I are close, but I’m not close with either of my parents.”

“How come?”

“I’m a disappointment to my father. He wanted me to join the Navy, like he and my grandfather did, but you know how seasick I get. He hasn’t really had much use for me since. I thought joining NCIS might’ve been the next best thing and he’d be proud of me, but…no. Mom…she’s just…well, she is who she is. She’s never content to stay in one place for long.”

Tony nodded. “I guess I shouldn’t have assumed that. Thinking back, I don’t know why I did. Sorry, man.”

“Don’t let Gibbs hear you apologizing.”

Tony rolled his eyes. “He’s not here so I can apologize if I want to.”

Tim chuckled. “True. What about you? How come you’re not spending Christmas with your family?” He picked up his fork and took a bite.

Tony took a sip of wine. “My mom died when I was eight. Dad couldn’t deal with me so he sent me to boarding schools.”

Tim’s fork slipped out of his hand and fell to his plate with a clatter, bounced and landed on the floor. Tim’s face reddened and he quickly got up, picked up the fork and went to the sink to rinse it off.

When Tim returned to the table, he reached out and squeezed Tony’s shoulder. “I didn’t know your mom died. That sucks.”

“Yeah.”

“What happened?” Tim asked quietly.

“Car accident. She drove into a tree.”

“That’s…terrible.” Tim looked a little shame-faced and he lifted his head to meet Tony’s eyes. “I guess I always assumed you were just a spoiled rich kid.”

“Yeah, that’s why I don’t often mention anything about my family.”

“Sorry, Tony.”

Tony shrugged. “Well, I assumed your family was close. You assumed I was a spoiled rich kid. Call it even?”

Tim found it in himself to grin a little. “Sure, yeah.”

An awkward silence fell. Tim tried desperately to think of something to say to get past this moment but his mind was totally blank.

“Hey, McMoody, stop thinking. I didn’t tell you that to ruin Christmas.”

Tim cleared his throat. “I know. You didn’t. I was just trying to remember why I made that assumption.”

“Because I wear nice suits and act like a carefree frat boy.”

“Yeah, I suppose that is why.”

Tony shrugged. He then took a bite of his lasagna. “I have to admit, Probie, your lasagna is pretty good. I should make lasagna for you sometime. It’s even better.”

“What makes it better?”

“Combination of spices and homemade pasta. I got my recipe from an older Italian woman. You probably didn’t.”

Tim smiled. “No, I didn’t. I’d like to try your lasagna sometime.”

“I think that can be arranged.”

Tim smiled and was relieved that talking about food got them back on track. They finished their meal companionably and washed the dishes afterward.

“Oh man, I’m stuffed,” Tony said as he sank into the couch. “Ooh, nice couch. It’s comfy.”

It was almost dark outside and Tim looked out the window. It had started to rain. He closed the blinds. “Glad I told you to show up when I did. Rainy.”

“Glad I don’t have to go out in it. Thanks for inviting me to stay all night.”

“No problem. I didn’t see the point of you going home just to sleep when I would be fixing a big breakfast anyway and had the room.”

“True. Your apartment is nice. I like it. So…what Christmas specials are on? You want to watch some?”

“Don’t you want to watch It’s A Wonderful Life?”

“Sure, but later, when we’re ready for dessert.”

“Okay. We can see what’s on.”

Tony grabbed the remote control from the coffee table and turned on the TV. Tim settled on the other end of the couch and just watched whatever Tony put it on. He really didn’t care. It was just nice to lay around and relax. Their job was stressful and he’d learned to appreciate any and all downtime. Sometime during whatever they were watching, he dozed off, drifting in and out of consciousness.

A loud noise from the TV startled him awake. He looked around, and saw that Tony looked as bleary-eyed and startled as he felt. Tim rubbed his eyes. “I must’ve dozed off.”

“Yeah, me too. Was a rough week.”

Tim frowned slightly at this. They wrapped up a case, but he hadn’t thought it was any rougher than some of the other cases they had. In fact, their last case was mostly easy compared to others. Tim wasn’t about to argue the point though. He looked at the clock and then did a double take. Two hours had passed since they sat down. He hadn’t thought he’d dozed that long. It seemed like just a few minutes.

“You ready to open stockings?” Tim asked.

Tony looked surprised. “Oh, you do that tonight?”

“Well, when I was growing up, we always opened stockings on Christmas Eve and presents under the tree on Christmas Day.”

Tony smiled. “Okay, sounds good.”

Tim got up and carefully removed Tony’s stocking, then his own from the hooks. He gave the stocking to Tony. “Merry Christmas, Tony.”

“Merry Christmas,” Tony said with a smile. “Oooh, candy.” He unwrapped one of the chocolates and popped it in his mouth. “Mmmm, good.” He watched Tim take wrapped items out of his stocking and noticed the wrapping paper was different. “Who made yours?”

“Sarah. We exchanged them the other day. She makes mine and I make hers.”

“Surprised you didn’t open them then.”

“We didn’t have time, really. We like to open them on Christmas Eve anyway.”

“Are you upset she’s spending Christmas with her boyfriend instead of with you?”

Tim shrugged. “I was at first, but she’s been with this guy for eight months now, and I don’t think she’s stuck with anyone this long so she’s serious about him, which is good. I would’ve rather she spent Christmas with me, but it’s her life. She can make her own decisions.”

“Just thought Christmas was a time you should be with family, even if you have a significant other,” Tony said quietly.

“I agree. If I had a girlfriend, I’d encourage her to spend Christmas with her family and I’d hope she’d encourage me to spend with mine.”

“Exactly.”

Tim felt another pang. If he had spent Christmas with Sarah, it probably wouldn’t have occurred to him to invite Tony and despite the earlier conversational awkwardness, he was glad he had. No one should be alone on Christmas, and given the things Tony had said, was obvious Tony would’ve been had he not been invited, which was just sad. “I’m glad you came over, Tony,” Tim said quietly, feeling the need to say something.

“Well, I couldn’t very well let you spend Christmas alone. What kind of friend would that have made me?”

Tim smiled. Tony had a knack for covering up that Tim envied and found frustrating in turns. “Do you…” he hesitated a moment, wondering if he should even ask, but really wanted to know. “…spend your Christmases alone?”

Tony hesitated for a second but finally answered with a shrug. “No. Usually, Gibbs and I cover shifts for a couple people with families so they can spend it with them. After the shift is over, we go back to his place for steak and beer. We never told you and Ziva because we didn’t want to make you feel like you should stay and work, too.”

“Oh.”

“Gibbs made up with his dad, so he wanted to visit him.”

“Surprised he didn’t invite you since he knows you don’t have plans.”

Tony grimaced. “Since he got blown up, he’s never mentioned Christmas to me, so I don’t think he even remembers.”

The more Tim learned about Tony, the sadder he felt though he was careful to not let it show. The matter-of-fact way Tony said that just caused Tim a larger pang. Tony was trying to act like he didn’t care, but he wasn’t hiding it as well as he usually would and Tim knew that displays of pity would be met with open hostility. In fact, Tony would probably leave. Tim understood as he didn’t like pity either.

Tony went on as though he didn’t notice Tim’s mental process. “I had planned to work this year, too, but HR said I needed to use some of my PTO. I apparently didn’t use as much this year as I have previous years.”

Tim nodded. “They must’ve been thrilled when Gibbs used some of his PTO.”

“I think the HR staff had a pool. Someone was happy to collect,” Tony said and Tim snorted.

Tim nodded toward Tony’s stocking. “Aren’t you going to open those?”

“Oh, yeah.” Tony unwrapped each gift and smiled at the orange. “This is really nice, Tim. Not sure what movie I will get yet, have to figure that out. Thank you.” He put the gift card in his wallet and then popped another candy in his mouth. Tony nodded toward Tim’s stocking. “Let’s see what Sarah got you.”

Tim’s stocking had a couple of the same items except Sarah put individually wrapped Nutter Butters in his and included a gift card for an electronic store at the mall. “Nice,” Tim said approvingly. He got up and put his gifts away so they wouldn’t get mixed up with Tony’s gifts.

“Oh, hey, do you like eggnog?” Tim asked when he returned.

Tony made a face. “No, you can taste the crap they put in. It’s awful.”

“Oh! You’re in for a treat then.” Tim got up to get two small glasses. He took the pitcher of eggnog out of the refrigerator and poured a small amount in a glass for Tony to taste. “This is eggnog like you haven’t had before. It’s homemade.”

Tony’s eyes widened. “I’m not drinking raw eggs, McSalmonella.”

Tim rolled his eyes. “The eggs aren’t raw. This was cooked to a temperature of 165 degrees. It’s safe to drink. Try it.” Tim poured himself a glass and immediately took a sip, savoring the flavors of nutmeg and cinnamon.

Tony looked at him skeptically for a moment before he sniffed at it. “It smells good,” he said cautiously before taking a sip. His eyes grew wide and he finished the rest of the glass. “Wow, that’s the best eggnog I’ve ever had. It’s really good.”

“Want more?”

Tony held out his glass and Tim said, “Tell me when.” Tony stopped him at half-full.

“You really made this?”

“Yeah. It’s a pain to make, but worth it. I won’t drink store-bought eggnog either.”

“You gotta tell me how you did it.”

“How about next year when I make it, you can come over and learn? It’s better to see it done than try to explain it.”

“Oh, you won’t make any more this year?”

“No. It’s a bit of work and it’s not very healthy, but it’s good. I make a pitcher a year as a treat.”

“This is amazing.”

“Thanks.”

“Come on, it’s time to watch It’s A Wonderful Life,” Tony headed back to the living room with his glass and grabbed the movie case he left on the coffee table.

They ate cookies and drank eggnog while they watched the movie. Tony shared interesting little facts about the movie as they watched. Tim shook his head at Tony’s movie trivia knowledge. He knew a lot of stuff. He’d seen the movie before so he didn’t care that Tony talked over it. Near the end, Tony fell silent as they watched.

When the credits finally rolled, Tony got up and ejected the DVD and carefully put it back in the case. “Great movie.”

“Do you ever get tired of watching it every year?”

“Nah, it’s a tradition. It was the last movie my mom and I watched at Christmas before she died. She loved that movie.”

Tony took their empty glasses to the sink and rinsed them out. “Wow, it’s late,” he said. “We’d better go to bed or Santa might not show up.” He grinned.

Tim glanced at the clock. It was just after 11:00. Time had flown all evening. “Yeah, I’m tired,” Tim said. “You can use the bathroom first. My routine takes longer.”

Tony snorted but didn’t comment. It would’ve been a good opening for Tony to tease him but he didn’t take it. As Tony headed toward the guest bedroom to get his stuff, Tim just shook his head. He still was curious about the change in Tony’s behavior, but it wasn’t like he could ask.

Less than half-hour later, both men were in their respective beds. Tim fell asleep almost immediately, his last thought was that it had been a nice evening.


	3. Chapter 3

Tim woke up at his usual time and smiled. It was Christmas morning. He got up and walked over to the window to look outside. It had rained overnight but was not cold enough to freeze. The sky was clearing. He remembered he had a house guest and took his clothes with him to the bathroom. The door to Tony’s room was still closed and wondered if the shower would wake him up. He took a quicker shower than usual, left a clean towel and washcloth out for Tony in case he wanted to shower, and then headed to the living room to turn on a lamp and the Christmas tree lights, and then to the kitchen to start coffee and breakfast. Tim got out the skillets, baking dish and bowl and got to work. Even with the prep he’d done the day before, breakfast bake would be bit of work, but soon the aroma of sautéed onions, peppers and potatoes filled his apartment.

He was whisking eggs and spices in a mixing bowl when he heard the door to the bedroom open and the bathroom door close. He had a few minutes while he waited for items to cook to sip on his coffee. It would take a while to bake and he hoped it would be worth the wait. He’d never made a breakfast bake before, but it sounded good. He set the timer and went to the living room to turn on the TV and settle in. The parade would be starting soon and unless they were working, he watched it.

Tony came in about twenty minutes later. “Morning. It smells really good in here,” he said with a smile.

“Thanks. Help yourself to coffee.”

Tony went into the kitchen and fixed himself a mug and joined Tim in the living room. “What are you cooking?”

“A breakfast bake. Home fries, eggs, ham, peppers, onion, cheese.”

“Mmmm,” Tony said with a smile. “I’m hungry.”

“It’ll be done soon.”

“Okay. You want to dig into the cheese danish?” Tony asked.

“Oh, yeah. Sounds good.” Tim got up but Tony beat him there and Tim got him a knife to cut it and small plates. Tony cut Tim a generous portion.

“Uh, Tony, if we eat that much, we won’t have room for the rest.”

“Oh, fine.” Tony mock pouted but grinned as he cut Tim’s portion in half and gave himself the other half. There was still about 20 minutes on the timer, so they took their danish to the living room.

They savored the cheese danish and Tim finished his coffee. He offered Tony another mug. “Okay, do you want to open presents now while we wait for breakfast or do you want to wait until after breakfast?”

“Doesn’t matter. Whatever you want to do is fine,” Tony said.

“Aren’t you curious what I got you?”

“Sure, but the food smells good and I’m hungry. If we wait, we won’t have to rush.”

“No rush either way, really, but we can wait until after breakfast.”

“When you were a kid, did you open presents before or after breakfast?” Tony asked.

“Before. Sarah and I were so excited, we couldn’t sit still to wait. What about you?”

Tony smiled a little sadly. “We usually opened our presents after lunch.”

Tim frowned. “After lunch? Why so late?”

“My mom was not a morning person. She usually stayed up late and slept all morning. Dad insisted we wait for her.”

“She wouldn’t just get up early on Christmas Day so you could open your presents?”

“No. If she was woken up before she was ready, she was grouchy all day. It was better to let her sleep.”

Tim frowned. He wanted to say that his mother was kind of mean to make him wait so long, but he didn’t think it was right for him to say something like that. He settled on saying, “That must’ve sucked for you.”

Tony shrugged and smiled a little. “I don’t wait until after lunch to open presents now.”

Tim smiled. “Good. Food should be almost done; we can get stuff ready.” He got up and went to the kitchen and got plates and silverware out, started the toast and poured the juice. Tony poured the last of the coffee, tossed the grounds and rinsed the carafe. He then buttered the toast while Tim took the baking pan out of the oven.

“Wow, that looks great. Smells better.”

Tim served up a hearty portion for each of them and they ate at the table.

“Do you make this every year?”

“No. I usually just do scrambled eggs and toast, but this year I wanted to make something that would hopefully last until dinner was ready. I found this recipe and decided to try it.”

“It’s really good.”

“Yeah, I’ll make this again sometime.”

“You’re going to make a woman very happy someday, Probie.”

Tim rolled his eyes.

“What? Women love men who can cook. It’s a fact!” Tony grinned.

“Oh, I thought you were about to make fun of me.”

Tony’s grin faltered. “Yeah, I used to do that.”

“How come you’re not? You haven’t really made fun of me in weeks.”

“Uh…well, there hasn’t been much to make fun of you for.” Tony looked back at his food and took a forkful. His plate was nearly empty.

Tim raised an eyebrow. He knew that wasn’t true. Tony could always…always…find something to make fun of him about. It was practically a rule. Tim waited but Tony seemed a little subdued and his plate seemed fascinating to him. He was hiding something, Tim decided but since they were eating, Tim decided to let it go…for now.

They cleaned up after they finished eating and Tim sat down on the floor near the tree. He handed Tony his gift from his father and then from himself. He then gathered three packages for himself. One from Sarah and two from Tony. Penny had given him his gift before she left on her cruise and his mother had already sent him something as well.

Tony’s dad’s gift turned out to be a garden hose holder. Tim just looked at it, puzzled. “Why would he think you needed that?”

“His secretary does his gift shopping for him. She doesn’t know me at all.”

Tim just shook his head. “Still seems like a strange gift to give someone.”

“This isn’t as strange as some gifts I’ve received. I’m used to it. Let’s see what you got from Sarah?”

“Okay.” Tim opened his gift. It was a green sweater. Tim immediately put it on.

Tony looked him over with a critical eye. “If you have any dates this winter, wear that.”

Tim wanted to say, ‘You mean when,’ but he wasn’t about to give Tony an opening to pry into his love life. Instead, he focused on the sweater. “It’s soft, too.”

“Looks it.” Tony reached over and made one swipe across Tim’s forearm to feel the material. “What’s it made of?”

Tim took off the shirt and looked at the care tag. “Cotton and cashmere.”

Tony whistled. “Very nice.”

“Yeah, it’s great. Okay, your turn. I…I hope you like it.”

Tim’s mind suddenly flooded with a ton of doubts. He had no idea if Tony would like the snow globe and wondered if he should’ve just kept looking. He didn’t have much time to dwell on it though because Tony was already opening it.

The curiosity in Tony’s face as he unwrapped it seemed bittersweet to Tim after the things he’d revealed about his parents. Once the paper was removed, all of Tim’s doubts faded away. The delight in Tony’s eyes lit up the room. “I love snow globes!” He shook it vigorously. “Wow, it almost comes to life, doesn’t it? This is awesome.” He looked at it more closely. “Hey, the skaters look a little like you and me.”

“Uh, yeah, I thought so, too. To me, it kind of illustrated our friendship, I guess. I’m always trying to catch up with you and you’re always turning around and grinning at me, usually because you find something I do worth laughing at, but not always.”

Tony blinked at Tim’s interpretation of their friendship. “That’s really how you see us?”

“Well, yeah. Don’t you?”

“No. Not even close.”

“Huh?”

“Tim, you blow almost everyone away with your computer skills. You can do things on a computer that I didn’t even know were possible. You understand all this technical mumbo jumbo that I’d never be able to figure out if you weren’t there to explain it.”

“Well, I know I help in that respect, but you leave me behind as far as dealing with people, figuring out cases, knowing what to say...” Tim trailed off, suddenly embarrassed at having said all that. He sighed. In for a penny… he thought. “You just seem to pull a lead out of thin air most of the time.”

Tony smiled a little. “Your people skills have gotten a lot better since you started.”

“Yeah, but you and Gibbs can just glance at someone and seem to know exactly what they’re going to say or do. I don’t even know how you do that.”

Tony half-smiled and his eyes look haunted for a moment before they cleared. “I’m not even sure how I do that. I can just tell.” He cleared his throat. “What I’m trying to say is that you’re not really as far behind as you think you are. Maybe I’m not as far behind you as I thought I was. We both have different skill sets and they’re an asset to the team. We both bring important knowledge and skills to the team and we’re all better for it. There’s a reason our team is the best, Tim.”

“I thought that was just because of Gibbs.”

“Gibbs is good. He has a lot of experience and he knows what he’s doing, but he can’t do what we can do. He actually has people skills but he hates bureaucracy and bulldozing through it saves time and he doesn’t care about ruffling feathers. That’s where I come in. He has some computer skills and mechanical skills, which have been useful at times, very few tech skills, but mainly, he can’t glare them into doing things his way. That’s where you come in.”

“And Ziva?”

“She knows how to beat everyone up without taking much abuse herself. We just get in her way.” Tony grinned. “And…okay, she has good international contacts that have made some of the cases easier. Mostly though, she’s the muscle.”

“You’ve been the muscle on a lot of occasions though.”

“Sure, but she’s better at it. I usually just end up in pain afterward. She barely seems to bruise.”

“No, she just hides it better.”

“Yeah, point. Bottom line is that we’re a great team because we have different skills.” Tony shook the snow globe again and watched it for a moment. “I see the little guy in front there slowing down to hold out his hand to help the other little guy catch up so they can skate together, like in a team.”

Tim held his hand out and Tony set the snow globe in it. Tim gave it another shake and tried to see it from Tony’s point of view. He hadn’t noticed yesterday but the guy in front was holding his hand out to the other guy, a hand out or hand up, it seemed. How had he missed that? He stared at it in thought. Really, it was just another example of what is seen being determined by perceptions. They did that with cases all the time. Why should this be any different? He could see it the way Tony had and he liked that interpretation better.

“I see what you mean,” Tim said quietly. He handed the snow globe back to him. “Thanks for the perspective.”

“You’re welcome,” Tony said equally quietly. “I will always treasure this, Tim. Thank you.”

“I’m glad you like it.”

“I had no idea you thought you were always lagging behind. You’re not. You’re a good agent…and a better friend.”

Tim didn’t know what to say to that. He wasn’t used to Tony paying him compliments at all. It was nice that Tony was being serious, for once. Sometimes when Tony acted serious, he couldn’t tell if he meant it or not, but right now he was being sincere in his seriousness and Tim loved it.

Thankfully, Tim didn’t have to say anything because Tony seemed to read his mind. “We all have days where we feel like we can’t do anything right. Working for Gibbs, we feel that way more than most people do. It’s hard sometimes, but it makes us better at our jobs. Just don’t tell him I said that. The back of my head can’t take any more.” Tony grinned.

Tim snorted. “He doesn’t slap the back of your head much now.”

“He actually did in the elevator the other day. I was being stupid.”

“Oh.”

“Anyway, enough about that. Open your gifts,” Tony encouraged as he pointed to the boxes in front of Tim.

Tim chose the smaller of the gifts first. It was a pair of insulated gloves; a very nice pair, Tim noted.

“I noticed the other day at the crime scene while you were taking pictures that the seams were coming loose on your old pair and that you kept rubbing your hands together to warm them up even with them on. So, I got you a new pair. I always buy this brand. They’re really durable and they last a long time. You should also be able to use your electronics with them if they’re not too touch-sensitive.”

“Tony, this is really nice. Thank you. I was thinking about getting a new pair but I hadn’t gotten around to it.”

“Glad you like them. Open the other one.”

Tim reached for the other, larger box and noted it was pretty heavy. He unwrapped the paper and found a sealed box from Amazon’s website. He looked at Tony, puzzled. He got out his knife and opened the tape. Inside he pulled out two books he’d wanted to buy and a blender. He just stared at the items, surprised. How did Tony know?

“Okay, confession time,” Tony said as he noted the stunned look on Tim’s face. “I wanted to get you something nice because in past years, my gifts were lame. I had no idea what to get you though and then one day last month I overheard you talking to Abby about something and saying you were going to add it to your wish list on Amazon. So, one day when you were helping Abby with some stuff for a case, I got on your work computer and opened Amazon and hoped you had saved your password. I lucked out and you had so I was able to view your wish list and chose a few gifts off of that. They’re still on your wish list though so you’ll have to remove them yourself. I swear I didn’t look at anything else on your computer, I was just trying to figure out what to get you for Christmas.”

Tim looked at the titles and the brand name of the blender and shook his head. They were the exact ones he’d put on his wish list.

“Wait, how did you even get into my computer? I lock it before I leave my desk.”

Tony grinned a little sheepishly. “Uh, well, I knew your password because I’d seen you type it in one day. I might’ve memorized it. I observe now and then to see if you change it. I hope you’re not mad. I wouldn’t give it out to anyone else. I just…well…” Tony lifted his arm toward the box.

Tim wanted to be upset, but gave up almost immediately. He hadn’t expected Tony to go all out for him like this. He remembered the prices on these items and they weren’t cheap which was why they were still on his wish list. Moreover, Tony could’ve gotten in a huge amount of trouble if he’d been caught messing with Tim’s computer.

“Tony…this is…” Tim trailed off. Finally, he settled for the only thing he could say. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. Do you like them? These are what you wanted, right?”

“Yes. This is great. I’m just…overwhelmed. I never expected…”

“Yeah, that’s why I wanted to do it.”

“Thanks,” Tim said again.

“What are you planning to make in the blender?”

“To make smoothies for breakfast. Get tired of cereal and eggs all the time.”

“Good idea. I sometimes make smoothies, too.”

That led into a discussion about the different types of smoothies and ingredients they liked to put in them. Tim got a notebook and wrote down some of the recipes Tony gave him so he could try them. 

After a while, Tony got up off the floor and stretched. His gaze fell on the TV. “Oh, come on, we’re missing the parade.” Tony got up off the floor and held out his hand to help Tim up. Once Tim was on his feet, Tony let go and took the snow globe with him to the couch and set it on the coffee table in the center. Tim sat down on his end of the couch and they watched the parade, commenting on the floats and the music. It was relaxing and Tony made him laugh more than once.

When the parade was over, Tim stood up and stretched and headed to the bathroom. After washing up, he went to the kitchen to start Christmas dinner. Tony came into the kitchen to help. Tony washed potatoes and Tim finished prepping the turkey to bake.

“Dinner should be ready about three o’clock again,” Tim said as he set the turkey in the oven. He set a timer for forty minutes before the turkey was going to be done.

Tony noticed. “Uh, that’s not going to be enough time.”

“I know. That’s the timer to start the potatoes.”

“Oh.”

“Don’t worry, I know what I’m doing.”

“Okay, McCook. What do you want to do in the meantime?”

“There’s probably a football game to watch, isn’t there?”

Tony did a double take. “You like to watch football?”

“Not particularly, but you do, right?”

“Well, the game doesn’t start until later in the afternoon, but I wouldn’t make you watch football because I know you’re not into it.”

“Yeah, I really don’t care about football at all.”

“I’m going to pretend you didn’t speak such blasphemy, but I get it. I don’t care about your online games either.”

“I’m going to pretend you didn’t speak such blasphemy, but I get it,” Tim said and grinned at Tony. Tony grinned back.

“Want to try to find a movie to watch?”

“Sure,” Tim said. “Nothing stupid,” he added as a qualifier.

“This is not the day to watch stupid movies,” he agreed.

Tony found the A Christmas Carol and settled into watch it. “There are a lot of adaptations, but this one is definitely the best,” Tony said. “Filmed in 1951, Alastair Sim plays Scrooge. You’ll love this, Tim.”

Tony was surprisingly quiet during the movie, added very little commentary and was completely absorbed in it. Tim had to admit it was one of the better versions of the story he’d seen.

“I wonder if anyone has ever approached Gibbs about playing the role of Scrooge.” Tony mused when the credits were rolling.

“He wouldn’t even need to act.”

Tony snorted. “Well, he would have to at the end when he is redeemed. Eh, maybe he wouldn’t be the best one to play it.”

“No, he could be redeemed, but he’d be grumpy about it.”

“’Kid, go buy the biggest turkey you can find. Now, scram!’ Is what he’d say as he threw money at the kid.” Tony started laughing.

Tim got in on the game. “Cratchit, you will take the rest of the week off. I better not see your face near the office.”

Tony laughed. “Hasn’t Gibbs actually said something like that to us before? About not being near the office?”

“Yeah, once, I think. Was a long time ago.”

Tony’s laughter died down to a chuckle. “He’d probably head slap the ghosts for disturbing his sleep.”

“Oh man, I could see him doing that.” Tim laughed at the visual and then turned and looked around the room. “I keep thinking he’s going to come up behind me and slap the back of my head.”

“I wouldn’t be surprised if on Monday when we go into work, Gibbs slaps us for this.”

“He probably will,” Tim said. He always seems to know everything.”

“Should we check for bugs?” Tony asked. A moment of silence fell and then their eyes met.

“I’ll scan the bedrooms and bathroom, you check out here,” Tim decided, getting up and heading to the corridor.

“Right.”

They did a thorough sweep and they met back in the living room. Tim shook his head. “I didn’t find anything.”

“Me neither. I think we’re safe.”

Their eyes met again and this time they spoke at the same time. “This time!” They both laughed.

Tim took the blender to the kitchen, and carefully took it out of the box and checked that all the parts were there. Then he set them by the sink to be washed. When he went back to the living room, Tony was flipping through channels trying to find something else to watch. Finding nothing appealing, he settled on one of the music channels. “Does this work?” he asked.

Tim nodded. “Sometimes it’s nice to just sit and listen to music.”

“Yeah. I do that sometimes, but I can usually find something to watch.”

“Shocking,” Tim said even though he grinned.

“Yeah, yeah,” Tony said, rolling his eyes a little. “So, what do you normally do on Christmas Day?”

“Not much really. Usually, Sarah and I just hang out, fix dinner together. After dinner, she helps me clean up and then, she goes back to her place to do whatever. I usually play a game, sometimes I fall asleep. Not really exciting. Sometimes, Sarah and I have gone to a movie if there was something we both wanted to see.”

“I’ve done that, too. Nothing this year I was really interested in.”

“Same.”

The timer went off. “Oh, time to start potatoes.” Tim got up and went to the kitchen.

“Need help with anything?”

“You can peel the potatoes you washed if you want.”

Tim got out a couple of saucepans and set one on the stove and the other on the counter. Tony expertly peeled the potatoes. Tim cubed them and laid them evenly in the saucepan. He then added water until they just covered the potatoes and set them on the stove, adding a few dashes of salt.

“Interesting way to do potatoes.”

“They cook faster this way.” Tim opened a cupboard door and took out a box of stuffing. “Hope you don’t mind boxed stuffing.”

“I don’t mind.”

“Good.”

There was really nothing else for Tony to do so he stood out of the way and just watched. “So how did you learn to cook a turkey?” Tony asked as Tim opened the oven door and carefully peeled back the aluminum foil to let the skin brown.

“Penny taught me. She always complained that my mom’s turkey was too dry. My mom didn’t really like to cook. She did it, but she usually rushed through it.”

“That why you’re picky about food?”

“Yeah, pretty much.”

Tony half-chuckled and fell silent again for a bit. As Tim found another saucepan and opened the gravy packet and dumped it in, Tony spoke again. “You really didn’t have to go to all this trouble just for me.”

“I was going to do it anyway. You being here is a bonus.”

“Really? This is a lot of food for one person, even for both of us.”

“I was just going to freeze the leftovers to microwave later.”

“Yeah, for those sixteen hour days when cooking feels like too much work.”

“That’s most days.”

“Some days are only ten.”

“Do you ever wish we worked fewer hours?”

“Yeah,” Tony said. “It’d be nice to have a little more downtime. Hard to have a life when you work all the time. Makes dating a pain, too.”

“Thought you weren’t dating anyone right now.”

“I’m not, but I will eventually.”

Tim was surprised Tony had said that much. The whole mess with Jeanne Benoit had really thrown Tony off and it was obvious he hadn’t recovered. Tim still couldn’t believe the way that had gone down. He’d been so relieved to find out that the burned body in autopsy wasn’t Tony that it had made him dizzy for a moment. He’d never admit that, but he’d already started to miss Tony before they even finished processing the scene. Finding out he wasn’t dead had been a relief.

Tim finished fixing their dinner and soon he had Tony getting plates and silverware and gathering stuff from the refrigerator. He set everything up on the counter buffet style. “Help yourself,” he said to Tony.

“Wow, this is a huge spread,” Tony said with a grin.

“Save room for dessert. There’s apple pie.”

Tony loaded his plate and Tim did the same. Tony put a little of everything on his plate.

“You know you can come back for more, right? You’re not limited to one plate.”

“I know, but it all looks so good.”

As they sat down at the table, Tim bowed his head and said grace aloud. Tony said a quiet amen when he was done.

“Didn’t know you were religious, Tim.”

“I’m not, really. My mother always said grace before holiday meals.”

“How come not all meals?”

“You know, I really don’t know. Never thought about it before. I’ll have to ask her next time I talk to her. She’ll probably call later today.”

“Cool.”

They ate in companionable silence except for Tony’s exclamations over how good the food was. He went back for seconds on the turkey. “That’s the best turkey I’ve ever had.”

“I’ll give you some to take home.”

“Great! Thanks!”

Cleaning up after dinner took longer due to the number of dishes but they worked together as a team and got it done in a short amount of time. Then they both sank down on the couch. “Carb coma in 3…2…1.” Tim said.

“No doubt. Moving would be too much effort.”

Tim handed Tony the remote and Tony looked for something to watch. He found another old movie to watch. Tim had no idea what it was and didn’t ask. Tony watched it and Tim wasn’t surprised when about 20 minutes later, he heard Tony’s breathing even out. He glanced over and sure enough, Tony was asleep. He stared at the TV screen and sank back into the cushion of the couch more. He was full, he was content, and he was sleepy. For the second day in a row after a big dinner, he fell asleep.

Sometime later, the alert on his cell phone woke him up. He had a text. He picked up the phone and read the text. It was his mother wishing him a Merry Christmas. He texted her back and then set the phone down. He yawned, stretched and got up and went to the bathroom. When he came back, Tony was awake and he did the same thing.

“Good nap?” Tim asked when Tony came back.

“Yeah. Sorry, I zonked out on you.”

“That’s okay. I zonked out right after you did.”

Tony chuckled. “I’m ready for pie if you are?”

“Sure.” They went to the kitchen and Tim served up the pie. “Ice cream or whipped cream?”

“Both?”

Tim grinned. “Good answer.” Tim cut into the pie and served up slices and Tony added the ice cream and whipped cream. They took their pie to the living room and settled in to eat it. Another movie was playing and Tony watched it.

“Hope you’re not bored,” Tim said. “I know this isn’t very exciting.”

“Sitting around watching old movies is one of my favorite things to do. Not bored at all. In fact, this is the best Christmas I’ve ever had.”

“Really? Ever?”

“Well, yeah. Christmas wasn’t ever really much fun. Hanging out with Gibbs for steaks was good, but he’s not exactly a conversationalist.”

“Yeah, true. I’m glad.”

“Are you bored?” Tony asked, emphasis on the word ‘you’. “I, uh, can get out of your hair if you’d rather play your game or something.”

“No, I’m not bored. I wasn’t hinting that you should leave. I just didn’t want you to be bored.”

“I’m not. Want to watch another movie? I’ve been thinking about watching Star Wars again.”

“Sure,” Tim said. “If you want, we can watch all three and you can stay over again. Figured we can finish the rest of that breakfast bake in the morning?”

Tony grinned. “That sounds great. Can we have more eggnog?”

Tim laughed. “Sure, but not right now. I’m full of pie.”

“We can get eggnog between movies then.”

“Sure.”

The rest of the afternoon and evening was spent watching the original Star Wars Trilogy and they both had seen all three movies so many times, they often quoted dialogue right along with the characters. Tony knew some obscure facts about the making of the movies that Tim found interesting. Around 8:30, Tim found a good place to pause as he was hungry. They made turkey sandwiches and ate while they watched. Later, as the credits rolled on Return of the Jedi, they argued which of the three was the best, both citing their arguments for their favorite.

“I win,” Tony declared.

“There is no winner, Tony. It’s subjective opinion.”

“Well, I’m the subjective winner then.”

“Your opinion about being the subjective winner is subjective, meaning it’s only your opinion.”

“What?” Tony asked and laughed, dismissing the argument. “Whatever.” He stretched out. “Man, I’m going to hit the treadmill hard tomorrow. This is the laziest I’ve been in months.”

“Me too, but it’s been great to do nothing today.”

“You didn’t do nothing. You cooked.”

“I just meant not having to work.”

“Oh, true.”

Tim yawned. “I’m going to bed now. I’m beat. You want the bathroom first?”

Tony put the DVD away and then headed toward the bathroom. Tim turned out the lights and checked that his apartment was secure before he went to his bedroom to start getting ready for bed. As he had the previous night, he slept well.


	4. Chapter 4

Breakfast was quicker in the morning as Tim reheated it in the microwave while Tony took care of the toast.

As they washed up the breakfast dishes, Tony spoke quietly. “If you don’t care, I think I’ll head out when we’re done here. I need to hit the treadmill, do laundry and stuff.”

“Yeah, no problem,” Tim said. “I’ll fix you a plate of leftovers to take home with you for dinner.”

“Yeah? Thanks!”

Tim got to work on Tony’s plate, piling it high and including a few dinner rolls, since he didn’t think he’d be able to eat them all himself anyway. Tony put his presents and stocking in the shopping bag. Tim put the plate of food in a plastic bag.

“So, uh, thanks for inviting me. This was really great,” Tony said.

“Thanks for coming. I wasn’t sure you were going to, but I’m glad you did.”

“Really? You’re not just saying that to be polite, are you?” Tony asked, doubt in his voice.

Tim frowned. “What? Why would you think that?”

“I don’t know. I just…I didn’t expect the invitation, I guess.”

“Well, I expected you to make fun of me for being alone on Christmas.”

Tony winced. “Tim, I wouldn’t do that.”

“You have in the past if I was alone for one reason or another. Always made fun of me for not having dates or friends.”

“Yeah, uh, sorry about that. I know you go out on dates and have friends.”

Tony looked so shame-faced that Tim couldn’t take it anymore. “Okay, Tony, what’s going on? Why have you stopped giving me a hard time? Have you been replaced by a pod person?”

Tony sighed and half-heartedly smiled. “Not a pod, but I love that you made a movie reference.” He grinned.

“So…why? Don’t just say you don’t have anything to give me a hard time about. We both know that’s not true.”

Tony shifted uncomfortably on his feet. “I got…told off for it a few weeks back.”

“Who told you off?”

Tony looked uncomfortable. “It doesn’t matter. I was told that I was being a jerk and to knock it off, basically.”

“Gibbs?”

“Who said it isn’t important. I got the point loud and clear.”

“Just curious who decided that you needed telling off on my behalf.”

Tony shrugged but wouldn’t meet his gaze. “They didn’t say anything you hadn’t said at one time or another. I just wouldn’t listen. Hearing it from someone else…well, I get it.”

Tim frowned. “Better late than never, I guess.”

“From now on, when you tell me to back off, I…will.”

Tim wasn’t sure of that. “I guess I’ll have to see it to believe it…since you never have before.”

“I’ll try. Sometimes I get caught up in the moment…”

“..and you go too far even though it should be obvious where I drew the line.”

“Yeah, something like that.”

“Exactly like that.”

Tony sighed and his shoulders slumped a little. “Anyway, I got told that my behavior toward you was embarrassing to witness and that I should be embarrassed to be so immature at my age.”

Tim frowned. “That kind of sounds like something Ducky would say.”

Tony ignored that. “Anyway, I’m trying not to do that.”

They stood there for a moment, an awkward silence settling on them. “Sounds like it was a harsh conversation.” Tim had experienced a few of those in the past, but what Tony was describing sounded even worse.

“I had it coming and I deserved it. I’m sorry for all the times I went too far and hurt your feelings or made you feel like you weren’t good enough.”

Tim wasn’t used to Tony apologizing for anything. He also wasn’t used to seeing him look so defeated. In fact, he kind of hated that look on Tony. Maybe it was finding out that he wasn’t a spoiled rich kid after all, but Tim wanted to wipe that look off Tony’s face. “You know,” he said slowly. “You didn’t have to buy me presents to earn my forgiveness. You saying all that was enough.”

“It didn’t feel like enough, but I bought the presents before I got told off.”

“Tony, who said all that to you?” Tim’s voice was earnest. He really wanted to know. He knew it was none of his business, but at the same time, he wasn’t used to anyone jumping to his defense.

“I’m not allowed to say. I’ve been sworn to secrecy. They didn’t want you to know.”

Tim sighed. He wanted to know but he respected that Tony kept his word. “Okay, then. Uh, I’m glad you came over and that you told me this. I enjoyed hanging out with you these last couple of days.”

Tony smiled at that. “Good. Okay, I’m going to go now. Thanks for…everything.”

“Thanks for coming.”

Tony nodded once and then turned to open the door. Then, he turned back. “Hey Tim?”

“Yeah?”

“How about next time we get a weekend off, we can do lasagna?”

Tim smiled. “So, you mean six months from now?” Tim grinned.

“Yeah,” Tony grinned back.

“Sure, sounds good.”

“Okay. See you on Monday.” Tony left and closed the door behind him. Tim locked the door again.


	5. Chapter 5

The silence in the apartment felt a little oppressive after Tony left so Tim turned on some music and booted up his computer to check his email and play his game for a while. He had just got logged into his game when there was a knock on his door. He was surprised that it was Sarah. He hadn’t expected to see her so soon. She had tears in her eyes and her countenance bespoke misery. As soon as Tim shut the door, Sarah rushed into his arms and hugged him tight. Tim was so surprised, he couldn’t respond for a moment, but then he wrapped his arms around her.

“Sarah? What’s wrong? What happened?”

“Nothing. Absolutely nothing.”

“That nothing sounds like something to me.”

“I’m never spending another Christmas without you.”

“Why? What happened?”

Sarah pulled back and Tim led her to the couch to sit. He handed her a tissue. She took it and blew her nose.

“Nothing happened really. Josh’s parents are really nice and I had a nice time. Just…you weren’t there. I missed you. It just wasn’t the same, you know?”

Tim nodded. “Yeah, I know.”

“And I felt bad that you were spending Christmas all by yourself but by then, I couldn’t just leave and oh Tim, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have spent Christmas anywhere but with you.”

“Hey, it’s all right. It worked out. I wasn’t alone, after all.”

“You weren’t?” Sarah looked surprised and looked around. “Who did you spend Christmas with?”

“Tony.”

“Tony?” Sarah repeated stupidly.

“Yeah. I decided to invite him to come over for Christmas and he did. He just left a little while ago, actually.”

Tears filled her eyes. “I’m so sorry. I had no idea you’d be so desperate for company that you’d invite Tony.”

Tim flinched. “No, it wasn’t like that at all. I wasn’t desperate for company. I was prepared to have a nice Christmas all alone if it came to that. Tony and I have been getting along better lately. He didn’t give me a hard time even once. He’s…gotten a lot better. I ended up being glad I invited him. We had a good time, and we cleared the air about a few things. We understand each other a little better now.”

“Yeah?” Sarah sounded hopeful. “That’s good. I know how much you’ve complained about him.”

“Yeah, well, I guess he’s finally growing up a little, but while it was nice having him here, you’re right. It’s not the same. I missed you, too, but I didn’t begrudge you spending Christmas with Josh.”

“You didn’t?”

Tim shook his head. “I just want you to be happy, Sarah.”

“I know. I was sitting on the couch with Josh and we were watching the parade with his parents and I missed you so much at that moment. I just wanted to be here with you. I love Josh, but I’m not sure I was ready for Christmas with his family.”

“Well, it’s only been eight months.”

“Yeah…but from now on, wherever Christmas is, I want you to be there.”

“Okay,” Tim said quietly. “Uh…I found out that Tony isn’t close with his family…at all. He doesn’t really have anyone else. If there’s no major upheaval in our lives this time next year, I’d like to invite him to have Christmas with me again next year. Would you be okay with that?”

“No one? No parents, siblings?”

“No one, Sarah. He has no siblings, his mother died when he was young and his father doesn’t care about him.”

“No one should be alone on Christmas.” Fresh tears leaked from her eyes. “I left you to have Christmas alone. I felt so guilty about it yesterday. I didn’t realize I would miss you so much.”

“Yeah, same. It’s okay though. I wasn’t alone. It was still a nice Christmas. I hope yours was, too?” He brushed her hair out of her face.

She nodded. “So you forgive me?” she sounded tearfully hopeful.

Tim smiled. “Of course.”

She hugged him again and Tim kissed the top of her head. After a moment they broke apart.

“You want a glass of eggnog?” he asked.

Her face lit up. “You still have some left?”

“Yeah, I have about half the pitcher left.”

“Yes, please!” She sounded delighted.

Tim smiled at her and got up and poured them each a half glass. She smacked her lips after the first sip. “As good as always. I missed this the last few days, too.”

“I thought of you while I drank mine.”

“I’m so glad you found this. Josh’s parents bought store-bought eggnog. It was disgusting. I only had a couple sips to be polite and gave the rest to Josh.”

Tim chuckled. “You want to watch something?” He nodded to the TV.

“I saw you were logged into your game.”

“I’d just sat down to it. I hadn’t started anything yet.”

Sarah smiled. “Yeah, I’d love to then.”

Tim smiled and logged out of his game and turned off his monitor. “Go ahead and pick something. I’ll be right back.”

Tim went into the bathroom and closed the door. Tears streamed down his face. He wasn’t used to Sarah being so emotional like this. She usually had good control of her emotions, so this was a surprise. He was glad she had shown up. As nice as his unexpected Christmas had been, he was glad she was there now. Tony’s descriptions and lack thereof of his Christmases had just made him sad. They all deserved good Christmases. Even if something bad happened and the team was a million miles apart, he’d still invite Tony for Christmas, no matter what. Even if Tony couldn’t make it, he’d still at least know he was welcome.

He dried his eyes, took a deep breath and splashed cold water on his face and dried it. Happy to spend a few hours with his sister, he headed back to the living room to find Lord of the Rings opening credits playing. He smiled. Good thing there was still another day off before Monday. He could just do laundry tomorrow.

“All right, where’s my eggnog?” he said, noting his glass was not where he left it.

Sarah smiled mischievously but sighed in defeat. “I was hoping you wouldn’t notice.” She reached over to the far side table and picked up the glass and handed it back to him.

“Really? You do know what I do for a living, right?”

“Yes, Tim. I know,” she said with mock exasperation.

He sat down on the couch and to his surprise, she snuggled into his side. Tim’s heart ached. They hadn’t done this for a long time. He leaned down and kissed the top of her head. “I’m glad you’re here, Sis.”

“Me too.”

As the camera panned over the Shire, Tim smiled down at his sister though she couldn’t see his face. He now felt complete.


End file.
